In thinking of a baby name for our daughter, there have been only two that have stuck with us.  When we chose her name, I wanted something that was symbolic or poetic.  I feel that names cannot be determined based on just what it sounds like, but also what they mean.  I wanted to name her something relating to the Sea.  You see, when Monica was pregnant and we didn’t know it, we had gone to Puerto Rico for our usual Valentine’s Day getaway, and there we went scuba diving.  So in essence, our daughter, our beloved child, was swimming in the depths of the seas along the giant whales that, hidden from view, somewhere far away, slowly traveled its ancient roads; the ancient turtles who know the mysteries of its dark blue nights, and the echoing of playful dolphins in the distant shades of the ocean.  We were 90ft deep and the clear waters had turned to fascinating deep blue shade, and there she was swimming with us, without us knowing.  And we think about that, often, and only one name comes to mind:  Sirena.  We have chosen to name her Sirena.  Sirena, which literal translation is Mermaid.  She was a little mermaid, swimming in the sea.

We know it’s an unusual name.  But I cannot think of any other name that will suit her –except for her middle name: Venezia.  Venice, or Venezia as it written in Italian, is where we originate.  Let me explain, as most of you know, Monica and I got engaged in Venice.  And I like to think of that moment as the moment when God had chosen for us to get engaged.  That is when and where we took our relationship to a deeper level.  To us, Venice will always be a special place.  And one thing that I told Monica was that “We will always have Venice.”  And so, we have decided for Sirena’s middle name to be Venezia, after the city of water, of canals, of gondolas, of romance and as a symbol to us of God’s timing and provision, because it was He who provided us with the trip and money to get there.

Sirena Venezia Downs.   It feels good to know her name.  And address her by it, not by “baby” anymore, but by the names we have chosen for her.

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